Thomas Schoos

German, born 1967

Thomas Schoos' career in the arts began in his native Germany where he studied fine art at Hauptschule Hacken Broich Dormagen and graduated from Berufskolleg as a member of the Dombauhutte (a prestigious university-level stone masonry program) where he apprenticed for three years at the Cologne Cathedral, one of the largest and most significant in Europe. This experience built a skill set based in the long tradition of European art and design. Schoos then moved into the world of commercial art, designing and painting scenery for fashion displays and exhibits. When his work started selling faster than the Yves Saint Laurent and Dolce & Gabbana haute couture displayed in front of it, Schoos decided to focus more on his career as an independent artist. Soon, he was selling pieces to major collectors and even royalty, including Prince Karl von Furstenberg (brother of Diane von Furstenberg) and Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis.

Recent Works

Schoos' most recent series of paintings, Trade, features large-scale portraits of animals that are part of an effort to bring attention to the plight of endangered species. The first of these, Equilibrium, was created for a travelling exhibit designed to heighten awareness of the killing of sharks. The painting superimposes an image of a shark over a similarly-shaped fishing boat to suggest that these two entities must coexist. Inspired by the results, Thomas decided to continue the theme with large paintings of a rhino, ostrich, walrus, vulture and snake. All are executed with a note of irony, calling attention to the features of each creature that cause it to be valued by poachers and consumers.

Hospitality Design

Thomas opened his own design firm "Schoos Design" in the summer of 1996. His globally inspired design esthetic draws inspiration from diverse and exotic cultural and natural elements from around the world, recreating them in fresh and provocative new ways. The result is a uniquely creative spirit that has been responsible for some of the country’s most successful hospitality ventures including restaurants, hotels and nightclubs as well as remarkable private residences.